Parquetry and flooring



' J. M BRIDE PARQUETRY AND FLOORING Filed May 15. 1926 a v f qa .5

7 75 .HIS ATTORNEYS.

Pawnee Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,649,842 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES MCBRIDE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR '10 J AS. MCBRIDE FLOORING (10., IN (7., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IPARQUETRY AND FLOORING.

Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to parquetry and flooring and has for its principal object the provision of means whereby flooring sections may be prepared as separate finished sections of parquet and other types of hardwood fiooring, may be shipped in strips or panels of sizes convenient to handle, and quickly and easily laid. By this procedure the usual operations of scraping, sanding, varnishing, rubbing, etc.,'a'fter laying, are eliminated, thus greatly reducing the cost of such flooring. This also makes it possible to utilize odd or short lengths of flooring strips which otherwise would have been discarded or used for firewood.

One object of this invention is to provide a system of inter-connected air passages un-, derneath the flooring to permit the circulation of air thereunder and to withdraw any moisture laden air from the flooring and sub-- flooring or the spaces between the same.

Further objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be described hereinafter as embodied in a section of flooring to be laid on a wooden sub-flooring as well as on a concrete sub-flooring, but the invention is not to be construed as being limited to the adaptations herein disclosed. By simple modifications the herein described flooring sections may be laid directly on the floor beams or on sleepers set in concrete or in the usual cinder fill.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of two adjacent flooring sections embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of a flooring section.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of part of a flooring showing the means used to join adjacent'sections and the method of securing the sections to the sub-flooring.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of parts of two adjacent sections showing another method of joining the sections.

The flooring strip or section 1 illustrated in Fig. 2 may be and is preferably made approximately as long as the room to be floored, or as long as practical and. of convenient width, such as, for example, six strips of hardwood flooring material of ordinary width. The strips of flooring materlal 1926. Serial No. 109,299.

are preferably treated or impregnated with a waterproofing material before being assembled and finished. In this way the pores of the wood are sealed after kiln drying so that moisture which may subsequently be present in the sub-flooring will not cause the finished flooring to warp, check or expand. The strips are preferably fastened together by glue or other cement as is usual in cabinet work, the glue being allowed to set under heavy lateral. pressure.

The section may comprise any suitable number of pieces of the same or different kinds of wood of varying and comparatively short lengths, glued or otherwise fastened together, as above described, to form sections of the desired dimensions and obviously may be inlaid with wood of various tones or colors, having an appropriate arrangement of pieces to form ornamental floor de- .signs. In order to prevent the strips from separating during transportation and to reinforce the sections laterally when laid, wooden cross pieces 2 extending across the under sides may be used. These pieces are preferably fitted into cross rabbets or grooves cut into the under sides of the sections and lie flush therewith. They may be glued or otherwise fastened in place.

A number of rooves or air -channels 3 are cut into the un erside of each section 1, and preferably extend diagonally across the bottom surfaces of the section as shown in Fig. 2. The lateral margins of the under sides of the sections, and, if desirable, the margins at the ends of the section may be recessed or rabbeted as shown at 4, thereby forming passages to connect the slots 3. Thus each 7 section is provided with an underlying system of inter-connected air channels, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. At desired points in the flooring holes 5 may be drilled through the section so as to form an outlet from the grooves or air channels 3. In the preferred form a perforated brass plug 6 is fitted into such holes, thus allowing the free and easy exit and circulation of air from beneath the flooring. If it should become desirable to remove the moisture laden air from beneath the flooring, a vacuum producing means may be connected with the hole 5 containing the perforated plug 6, and the air so withdrawn, or hot air under pressure, may be forced into the holes thereby drying out the space between the flooring and sub-flooring.

In the preferred form of the flooring the lateral faces of adjacent sections have cut therein small male and female corrugations as indicated at 7 It is possible with this construction to accurately align adjacent sections and insure evenly matching sections of the flooring, thereby eliminatingthe necessity of planing the margins of adjacent sections. As an alternative method of aligning adjacent sections the construction shown in Fig. 4 may be used. This consists of cutting corresponding grooves in the lateral edges of adjacent sections and inserting a strip 8 of steel or other thin material therein.

When the flooring sections are to be laid on a sub-flooring of concrete, expansion screws or bolts 9 ,may be used to secure the sections to the concrete sub-flooring. When the sub-flooring is of wood, ordinary wood screws, as illustrated in Fig. 4, may be employed. In either case. it is desirable to countersink the heads of the screws and to drive into the countersunk holes wooden dowels 10 so that they may be flush with the surface of the floor.

When the flooring sections are to be laid upon a concrete or similar sub-flooring, it is desirable that the surface of this flooring be treated with a suitable water-proofing material and a layer of asbestos or asbestos felt interposed between the sub-flooring and the sections of the finished flooring herein described.

Having described these embodiments of my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A section of flooring comprising, a plurality of strips of flooring material cemented together to form sections or panels of convenient width for handling and havingcon necting grooves cut in its underside and provided with a plurality of holes connecting said grooves with the surface of the flooring to form passages for the circulation of air after said flooring is laid.

2. A section of flooring comprising, a plurality of stri s of flooring material cemented together to orm sections orpanels'of con- Venient width for handling and having air channels comprising grooves cut in its underside, the lower margins of said section being recessed to form connecting passages for said channels, said section having a plurality of holes connecting said channels with the surface of the vflooring.

3. A section of flooring comprising, a plurality of strips of flooring material united by a suitable cement to form sections or panels of convenient width for handling and having a plurality of grooves cut diagonall across its underside and also provided wit recessed lower edges to form connecting passages for said grooves, said section bemg provided with holes connecting said channels with the surface of the flooring and perforated caps inserted in said holes flush with the upper surface of said section.

4:. A section of flooring provided with a. system of interconnected air passages comprising grooves cut in its under side and provided with a plurality of holes connecting said system with the surfaces of the flooring, the edges of said section being provided with means for aligning adjacent sections.

5. A section of flooring provided with a system of interconnected air passages comprising grooves cut in its under side and provided with a plurality of holes connecting said system with the surface of the flooring, and the edges of said section being provided with corrugations adapted to coact with similar corrugations on adjacent sections, to align the same.

6. A section of flooring having a plurality of air channels comprising grooves cut in its under side, the lower margins of said section being recessed to form connecting passages for said channels, said section having a plurality of holes connecting said channels with the surface of the flooring, and the edges of said flooring being provided with means for aligning adjacent sections.

7. A section of flooring having its lower margins recessed and having a plurality of saw cuts extending diagonally across its under side and connecting with said recessed margins, said section being provided with holes drilled therethrough and connecting with said cuts, the lateral faces of said sections being provided with corrugations adapted to coactwith similar corrugations on adjacent sections to align the same.

8. A section of flooring comprising, a plurality of .stri s of flooring material cemented together to orm sections or panels of convenient width for handling, transverse reinforcing strips set into the underside of said longitudinal strips and cemented thereto, said reinforcing strips bein flush with the under surface of said pane s, the underside of said panel being. provided with a plurality of air channels comprising grooves cut in its underside, said grooves passing through said reinforcing strips, the lower margins of said sections being recessed to form connecting passages for said channels and said section having a plurality of holes connecting said channels with the surface of the flooring.

Signed this 13th day of May, 1926.

, JAMES MCBRIDE. 

